1831 RIOT! The ReMake

Satsymph and Liz Crow proudly announce the re-make of 1831 RIOT!, the world’s first immersive audio-play. Back in 2004 – when the original 1831 RIOT! was created for Mobile Bristol – you needed a special ‘pocket pc’ and a clunky GPS receiver in a backpack to access the experience. With the remake everyone can access this groundbreaking work – on your personal smartphone!

The app retells the story of the 1831 Reform Riots, which resulted in numerous casualties and nearly burnt the whole city down. The riots were a response to the rejection of the Great Reform Bill by the House of Lords, a measure designed to extend the vote to middle class male house holders. However, the announcement of the Tory MP and city Recorder, Sir Charles Wetherall, that Bristolians were not interested in parliamentary reform further inflamed local opinion. When Wetherall arrived in Bristol to open the Assize Courts, huge crowds gathered to oppose him and he was forced to take refuge in the Mayor’s Mansion House in Queen Square. This is the starting point for the 1831 RIOT! experience.

We are launching 1831 RIOT! (The Remake) Saturday 15 September 2018 as part of Bristol Open Doors. The Satsymph team and Prof. Steve Poole, Director, Regional History Centre, University of the West of England will be available all day from 10am to 4pm to talk about the 1831 Reform riots, how the app was made and answer queries, technical and interpretive questions etc. Look out for us at The Portal to the 1831 Reform Riots on Thunderbolt Square in front of Queens Square. Of course you can use the app any day and time it suits you, not just at the launch: just download and go!

It’s best to download the app from a fast wifi connection (eg from your home) BEFORE you come to Queen Square. However, I just checked, and you can also download over a 4G connection at Queen Square in less than a minute. Don’t forget to bring a pair of headphones or earbuds with you – 1831 RIOT! (apart from the introductory screens) is entirely AUDIO! And no, you don’t need a network signal, the app contains everything it needs and just uses your phone’s GPS to trigger the content.

The app has been made to reflect the experience of a riot: be experimental, wander the whole of Queen Square, not just on the paths. If you want some ‘out time’ head for the statue of William in the middle of Queen Square where you will hear Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ played on a period instrument (yes, the rioters DID ‘liberate’ a piano and play the sonata for their own ‘out time’ during the riots!) There are around 106 different soundfiles layered over the square. A preview of a few soundfiles is available on my personal Soundcloud acount (they’re automatically labelled ‘Ralph Hoyte’ but should say ‘Liz Crow & Ralph Hoyte’ as it was a total collaboration).

Download 1831 RIOT! for FREE: you can find it here on google play and here on apple app store. It is also available on one link at: http://onelink.to/zcv8pn (‘one link’ means it knows what device you’re using and will automatically take you to the appropriate app download page).

The experience is wheelchair and mobility-impaired friendly. It is all audio. Text versions of the scripts will be available on request from satsymph@gmail.com

PLEASE WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING WHEN USING THE APP! BE CAREFUL OF TRAFFIC WHEN CROSSING THE ROAD AROUND QUEEN SQUARE, AND WHEN IN THE SQUARE LOOK OUT FOR OTHER PEOPLE, DOGS AND ESPECIALLY CYCLISTS, WHO ZOOM THROUGH THE SQUARE AT QUITE A SPEED!